Suction cleaner



4Out. 15, 1940. v. E. CARLSON SUCTION CLEANER Filed Dec. 31, 1938 l NVE NTO R Verizon E Carlson ATTORNEY Patented oci. 1s, 1940 `UNITED STATES 'SUCTION CLEANER Vernon E. Carlson, Canton, Ohio, assigner to The Hoover Company, North Canton,

poration oi Ohio Application member s1, 193s, serai No. 248,755

Ohio, a cor- 2 Claims.` (C1. 306-13) The present invention relates to suction cleaners and particularly to new and improved handle -control mechanism in a suction cleaner.

It is an object of the invention to provide a new and improved suction cleaner. Itis another object to provide new and improved handle controlling means in a, suction cleaner. A further object is to provide a. handle controlling 'mechanism.

composed of few parts, which are inexpensive to manufacture and easily assembled. Another object is to provide a handle supporting member which also supports a foot operated handle control lever. Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent upon referring to the following specification and claims and the attached drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a suction cleaner with parts broken away illustrating one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the embodiment shown in Figure l, and

Figure 3 is a section along the line 3 3 of Figure l. An embodiment of the invention is disclosed in a suction cleaner comprising a main casing 5 having a nozzle 6 communicating with a passagewa'y 1 extending to a fan chamber 8 communicating with an exhaust passageway I3 provided with a vertical ange I4 to which a dust bag I5 is removably secured. The casing 5 supports a motor housing I6 enclosing an unshown motor which drives the fan I1 to create suction and draw dirtladen air from the surface being cleaned, through the nozzle 6, suction passageway 1. fan chamber 8 and discharges the dirt-laden air through the exhaust passageway I3 into the dust bag I5. The .cleaner is supported onv front and rear wheels I8 and 9 respectively. Y

The cleaner is propelled over the surface covering by means of a handle 20 removably disposed in a split socket 2l having a front wall 22, a split rear wall 23 and side walls 24 and 25.4 'I'he handle socket 2| is pivotally mounted on the casing 5 by being journaled on a pivot pin 26 extending F through the socket side walls and the spaced side walls 21, 21of a handle bracket 28, the socket 2| beingv arranged exteriorly of the bracket 28.

The bracket 28 has a back wall 2 9 secure'd to the ..0 exhaust flange I4 and a pair of lateral offsets 30' and 3| which are mountedson the casing 5 above the exhaust passageway I3.

Segmentmeans 35 are formed on the lower dening edge ofthe socket side wall 25 and in cludes stops 36,31 and 38 and segmental recesses 48, 4I and 42 to provide different operating ranges for the handle 2li.

A handle control lever 46 is provided at its rear end with a pair of spaced bearings 41 mounted s on a pivot pin 48 which has one end journaled 5 in an upstanding lug 50 formed integrally with the bottom flange 3| of the handle bracket 28 and the other end is supported in a side wall 21 of the handle bracket 28. In order to properly position the control lever 46 on the pivot pin 48 10 a flat spring 52 has one end secured on the control lever 46 and its opposite end. is disposed in an annular recess 63 in the pivot pin 48.

Formed integrally with the control lever 46 is a. detent means which comprises a pawl 54 projecting from the boda,7 55 of the control lever 46. The pawl 54 engages the segment surfaces to hold the handle in the selected operating range.

Also formed integrally with the control lever 46 is a laterally extending arm 51 provided at its 20 outer end with a foot operated button 58 to actuate the handle control means. The lever arm 51 is offset with respect to its pivotal axis 48 and extends through a marginal slot 59 in the motor housing I6.

The bottom wall 3| of the handle bracket 28 is provided with an opening 60 in which one end of a spring 6| is anchored and rests upon the casing 5, and the opposite end of the spring is anchored about an annular bead 63 formed in 30 the body portion 55 of the handle control lever 46. The spring 6| operates to at all times urge the lever 46 upwardlyto cause the pawl 54 to engage the segment surfaces to lock the handle in the selected position. A tab 65 is formed on, 35 the lever arm 51 to limit forward and downward movement of the control lever 46 by engagement with the cleaner casing 5.

'Ihe weight of the handle is counterbalanced by a torsion spring 66 arranged within the handle o socket 2| and about the handle pivot 26.

One end 61 of thespring rests on a lug 68 mounted on a. side wall 21 of the handle bracket, and the opposite end 69 is anchored against a lug 10 formed on a. member 1| rigidly secured in the handle socket 2l. The member 1| is provided with laterally offset stops 12 which engage the inclined surfaces 13 on the side walls 21 of the handle bracket to limit movement of the handle in its lowest position, the inclined surfaces 13 cooper- '50 ating with the segment stop 38 to define the low operating range of handle movement. Upward movement of the handle is limited by engagement of the lower end 14 of the handle socket front wall 22 with the inclined edges 15 of the handle 55 range, the operator places his foot on the button 58 and depresses the latter causing the control lever 48 to pivot counter clockwise, as viewed in Figure 2, and the pawl 54 to move out of the recess 4|. The handle may now be lowered and thereafter the operator removes his foot from the button 58, the spring 6I 'pivoting the control lever 46 upwardly to move the pawl 54 into the recess 42 and permitfree movement of the handle in the operating range defined by stops 38 2,0 and 13. Downward movement of the handle is limited by the stops 12 engaging the inclined surfaces 413 on the handle bracket 28. The handle may be moved-upwardly withoutmanipulatmeans mounted on said casing, said bracket ing the control lever 46 since the pawl 54 rides 25 along the cammed surfaces 80 and 8l on the segment 35 against the force exerted by the spring 6I.

From the foregoing it will be perceived that I have providedl a handle control that is inex- 30 pensive to manufacture and includes very few parts. The handle bracket is formed .of one stamping which not only supports the handle but is provided with means tb pivotally. support the handle control` lever 46. The control lever, 35 detent and foot operating portions are formed in one stamping and are entirely supported on the handle bracket. I It is to be understood that the protection herein applied for is not confined to the .particular 4Q combinations of features or elements set out in thel following claims. ,Protection .is herein applied for, for any one or more of the featuresor elements referred to in the following claims or described in the foregoing specification or shown inthe accompanying drawing, either independently or in combination.

I claim:

1. In a suction cleaner, a casing, a stamping y removably mounted on said casing and having a pair of spaced upstanding arms and a lug spaced from one of said arms, a handle pivotally supported on said spaced arms, segment means mounted on said stamping and-connected to said handle, a manually operable handle control lever pivotally mounted on said'lug and said one arm, and detent means operated by said lever for removable engagement with said segment means to releasably hold said handle in restricted and adjusted positions, said stamping supporting said handle, segment means, detent means and handle control lever for removably' mounting the same on said casing as a unit.

2. In a suction cleaner, a casing, bracket means having integrally formed spaced upstanding arms and a bearing support spaced from one of said bracket arms, a handle pivotally mounted on said spaced bracket arms, segment means formed in a wall of said handle, a bearing support formed in said one bracket arm, a manually actuated handle control lever pivotally mounted in said bearing supports, and detent means integral with said control lever and normally engaging vsaid segment means to hold said handle in restricted adjusted positions, manipulation of.

said control lever disengaging said detent means from said segment means to permit movement .of said handle with respect to said casing. I

VERNON E. CARLSON. 

